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Charlotte Hall (nee Rey) married Sir William Hume Campbell of Marchmont, 6th Baronet, in 1812. On 15th December that year, Charlotte gave birth to their first and only child, Sir Hugh Hume Campbell, 7th Baronet. In this full-length seated portrait she holds her young son, who eventually bequeathed this portrait to the Scottish National Gallery upon his death in 1894. Although the child is only partly wrapped in a loose cloth, Lady Hume-Campbell wears a shawl and a fashionable empire-style dress of fine material. The image of a mother and naked child was based on traditional representations of the Madonna and Child.

Details

Acc. No.NG 831

MediumOil on canvas

Size197.00 x 151.00 cm

CreditBequest of Sir Hugh Hume Campbell 1894

Sir Henry Raeburn (Scottish, 1756 - 1823)

Originally apprenticed to a goldsmith, Henry Raeburn showed enormous artistic talent as a young man. In 1784 he moved to London where he met the important portrait painter Joshua Reynolds. He spent some time in Italy but returned to Edinburgh in 1787 where he began painting portraits of the rich, famous and important people of his day. He was in constant demand and received many honours: in 1822 he was knighted when the King visited Edinburgh. Sir Henry Raeburn died a year later.